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New Surly Jerseys: a blog about wool stuff that I wear while I ride

It’s getting chilly here in the middle-west part of the country, and with that comes an increase in the layers of stuff on my outsides whilst I ride. To this point, I’ve been working with an “all-wool, all the time” model for my upper parts with three layers of varying thicknesses of merino wool for temperatures down to about 25 F.

Those of you who don’t know what merino wool is probably don’t have computers and might, in fact, live under rocks. If that’s the case, you won’t read this, so go screw yourself. But, just in case you’re new to this whole thing and don’t live under rocks, or you just bought your very first computing machine, here is a brief rundown on the whole merino wool world.

Merino wool comes from merino sheep, which according to my computing machine is a special breed of sheep, prized for its wool. What makes its wool so coveted, you ask? It is said that they have the finest and softest wool of any sheep out there. This stuff is soft, like “skip the nightie and just jump in” soft. Persons who tend to find wool itchy and uncomfortable, usually find that is not the case with merino. It feels a bit more like cotton, but retains all of the magic temperature regulating mojo that wool is known for.

Why am I telling you all this? Because, we just put out a brand new merino wool jersey and I’ve been wearing it for about two weeks now. So far, so good. Let me go through some of the highlights to get your juices flowing.

Zipper

Giant pocket in the back

Thumbholes

Embroidered stuff

Long butt-covering backside

It’s a jersey, it’s wool, and it’s warm. I’ve barely taken it off and I’ve worn it to bed twice. I went camping and riding with it in Colorado and it liked the mountains, but it pined for the rivers and lakes. I guess it gets nervous without large bodies of water somewhere near. Somehow it manages not to stink yet (the wonders of wool). My wife keeps bugging me to get her one, but I told her she doesn’t ride enough to deserve to have a riding garment of this quality. Plus I am cheap, and it’s nice to watch her squirm. Also, she won’t let me eat icecream.

As far as the Jersey goes, I’ve washed it according to the instructions on the label and it neither shrunk nor felted. Some people I know washed it with a load of sheets and weren’t so lucky. So follow the instructions for washing, or just stew in your own filth, or find a baby to give it to after you fuck it up in the wash.

They are made for men and women, and they come in sizes from XS to XXL. These things are on sale now at your local bike shop.

About Gern Blanston

A rider-slash-Surly fan who somehow bounced like a quarter at a drunken college mixer into what he thinks is pretty much the swellest job a fella could have, it is Tyler’s job to determine how Surly should seek attention to its products and itself generally. He has an extensive background in children’s theater, which is, perhaps not surprisingly, a good fit for the marketing manager of this company.

Continued Bloggage

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